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8vo. xix, [3], 420 pp. Numerous illustrations, index. WITH ADDED LARGE FOLDING (printer's galley, or author's graphic) GENEALOGICAL TABLE (much larger than the one published in the book, same text, but with a couple of annotations added by the author). Original gilt-stamped black cloth, dust-jacket; jacket rubbed. INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR, JOHN R. MILLBURN, TO HIS CLOSE FRIEND, COLLEAGUE AND CO-WRITER, "Dr. Henry C. King, With the author's compliments . . . May 2000." Very good. PRESENTATION COPY, INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR TO HIS FRIEND & WRITING PARTNER, HENRY C. KING. "'G. Adams in Fleet Street London' is the signature on some of the finest scientific instruments of the eighteenth century. This book is the first comprehensive study of the instrument-making business run by the Adams family, from its foundation in 1734 to bankruptcy in 1817. It is based on detailed research in the archival sources as well as examination of extant instruments and publications by George Adams senior and his two sons, George junior and Dudley. Separate chapters are devoted to George senior's family background, his royal connections, and his new globes; George junior's numerous publications, and his dealings with van Marum; and to Dudley's dabbling with 'medico-electrical therapeutics'. The book is richly illustrated with plates from the Adams's own publications and with examples of instruments ranging from unique museum pieces - such as the 'Prince of Wales' microscope - and globes to the more common, even mundane, items of the kind seen in salesrooms and dealers - the surveying, navigational and military instruments that formed the backbone of the business. The appendices include facsimiles of trade catalogues and an annotated short-title listing of the Adams family's publications, which also covers American and Continental editions, as well as the posthumous ones by W. & S. Jones." â Â" jacket. / 'Millburn has delved profitably into a wide range of sources. Copious illustrations, many of the instruments passing through the Saleroom or in private hands, expand on those usually shown . . . a book well worth waiting for.' Albion 'In a meticulous piece of research sustained over many years, a remarkably coherent picture of the firm's history and the lives of the men behind it has been constructed by John Millburn.' Journal of the American Scientific Instrument Enterprise '. . . the impact of Millburn's work on historiography could go far beyond that of a well contextualized biography . . . this book marks a turning point in the standards necessary to produce a serious historical work on instrument makers.his pleasant narrative, and the use of rich and good iconographical resources, make Millburn's book a model for the genre.' Medical History '(Millburn) describes the instruments from the Adams family and their chief competitors, and he uses those instruments as evidence. He does so thoroughly and with discrimination. In order to present this evidence, he has produced a splendidly-illustrated book . . .' Canadian Journal of History 'His book contains several appendixes, one of them especially useful for instrument historians as an aid to dating Adams instruments and publications . . . very detailed . . . an excellent source of information on eighteenth-century life . . . an excellent work . . . the definitive work on the Adams workshop.' Technology and Culture '. . . this book marks a turning point in the standards necessary to produce a serious historical work on instrument makers . . . a model for the genre.' Medical History 46/3 'Millburn is already renowned among eighteenth-century historians of science . . . With this book, he has extended our knowledge in two directions, simultaneously enriching our awareness of the mid-century instrument trade, and providing a longitudinal study of how one family adapted to changing circumstances . . . The thoroughness of Millburn's research is stunning. He has drawn on an impressively wide range of sources . Seller Inventory # S14095
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Bibliographic Details
Title: Adams of Fleet Street, Instrument Makers to ...
Publisher: Ashgate, 2000., Aldershot:
Publication Date: 2000
Binding: Hardcover
Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
Signed: Signed by Author(s)
